Caroline is an esports journalist focusing on CS:GO. Starting out as a casual CS:GO fan, her interest quickly turned into a passion as she spent years studying the game. She has put that knowledge to use as a journalist, now writing about professional CS:GO for multiple websites including TheGamer.

HellRaisers Disband CS:GO Team

According to an official report from the organization, HellRaisers has disbanded their CS:GO squad.

HellRaisers have confirmed the benching of their entire CS:GO roster, a move that will take immediate effect. This decision comes after the team’s poor performance at the StarLadder Berlin Major, where they were eliminated from the New Challengers Stage with a 1-3 record.

HellRaisers climbed up the rankings in 2018 thanks to the formidable duo of Issa “ISSAA” Murad and Özgür “woxic” Eker, who helped the squad reach a quarter-final finish at the FACEIT London Major. Their London result was the organization’s best performance at a Major since DreamHack Winter 2014. Following a group stage elimination from IEM Katowice, Eker left the team in favor of mousesports. HellRaisers has since rebuilt the roster, though they have not been able to reach the same heights as last year. The team’s full lineup only came together this April, with the signings of Christian “loWel” Garcia Antoran and Žygimantas “nukkye” Chmieliauskas completing the roster.

Hellraisers Roster Lock Luckout

Thanks to a roster-lock loophole, HellRaisers were able to compete at the StarLadder Major with their active lineup. Despite the proven skill on the roster, the team was not able to put up a strong performance. Though they did manage a convincing win over CompLexity, HellRaisers suffered crushing defeats at the hands of FURIA, Avangar, and Vitality. This eliminated them from Major contention, and sent them back to the Minor circuit should they have wished to compete in the first Major cycle of 2020.

In addition to these developments, HellRaisers also revealed that former rifler Bence “DeadFox” Böröcz is now a free agent. The announcement also assures that the organization is not leaving Counter-Strike, and they will be returning with an updated lineup soon. HellRaisers CEO Alex “Magician” Slabukhin states:

“This season hasn’t been easy for anyone who supports and believes in HellRaisers no matter what. All of the guys proved to be true professionals and talented players, but unfortunately, we didn’t manage to build a team which every fan of HellRaisers could be proud of. However, a new season means new opportunities. We’ll soon announce an updated CS:GO roster, as well as some other good news! Let’s make HellRaisers great again!”

HellRaisers CS:GO was next expected to compete in the European Champions Cup as well as ESL Pro League Season 10. It is currently unclear whether they will drop out or compete with a new lineup.